Let Loose From the Noose
by Depp Addict
Summary: When Dean and Sam travel to Pennsylvania because of Sam's vision, they meet a young girl with an abusive father and a house with a blood hungry demon. And what happens when a teenage girl is road tripping with the Winchesters? rated for mild language.
1. Enter Sandman

**A/N**: Hmm… well take 2… I guess (my other fic wasn't going so well, so I took it off) this one will only keep going if enough people like it… no sense in wasting my time for something people won't read. PLEASE tell me what you think! Yes, I know it reads like a play… but that's my style of writing, sorry if you don't like it.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything…. oh how I wish I did

Let Loose From the Noose

Chapter 1: Enter Sandman

Sam awoke in the middle of the night, panting and sweating.

'D-Dean!' he stammered

'Sammy, what is it? Its 1 o'clock in the morning' grumbled Dean sleepily looking at the clock, and then to Sam intensively. 'Was it another vision?' he said sitting up.

'I think so, it was a really weird one this time.'

'What happened?'

'Well,' Sam started, putting his hands slowly to his temple to think 'There was this girl, I think she was about 16 or so, and, well, I think her parents were killed by a demon, I mean, they were just lying there and the demon was in the background, I couldn't see what it was, it was to dark, but it looked like she knew what she was doing, like she was hunting it, but I've never heard of a hunter that young… and then there was this fire, all around the house… but then, then, _you_ came in.' he quickly explained.

'Alright, do you think you know where this house is?' Dean asked getting dressed

'Um, I'm pretty sure that the girl wearing a black shirt and it said… um, Bucks County Pennsylvania History Day participant.' Sam said looking back at Dean

'Good, we have a location, hurry up, let's go.'

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In the parking lot of a High School in Pennsylvania (the name is fictional)

'Sam wake up!' Dean said shoving Sam lightly in the passenger side.

'Huh? Dean…? Oh, did you find the school?' he said sitting up straight

'Well, there are only a few high schools in the area and the one most residents near hear go to is this one. William T. Panther High School, what a lame name.' Dean chuckled

'Alright, what time is it?'

'It's around three thirty pm, I think they're getting out now, try to see if you can find the girl' Dean said leaning his head back on the seat and closing his eyes.

'Hey, I think that's her, the one in the ripped jeans and ACDC t-shirt walking towards the bus.'

'Well, she's got a good taste in music' Dean smirked revving the car's engine

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The boys followed the bus to a small suburban house with a typical grey roof and white paneling. They parked a few houses down and took in the small, typical, suburban setting.

'This looks like the place.' said Sam

'Alright we have a few hours to kill, I'm gunna go find a place to eat, stay here incase something happens.' Dean said about to get out of the car.

'Dean… wait, look!' said Sam as the door opened revealing a tall, mean looking man and the girl

'WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM YOU IDIOT!?' screamed the man

WHAM he hit the girl across the face and she fell to the ground with tears streaming down her chin, with a red mark across her face.

'He was my science partner dad! We had to finish it, I tried calling but—' the girl stammered

'I SAID NO EXCUSES! NOW GET OUT OF HERE YOU DUMBASS!' the man said slamming the door

The girl slowly got up and wiped some tears from her eyes, she then walked to the curb and sat down, head in her hands.

'Dean, that's her _father_?' asked Sam

'I guess so Sammy, come on, let's go help her.' Dean said sympathetically as he got out of the car.

The boys quietly walked over to the girl and sat next to her.

'You O.K?' Dean asked

'Huh? Oh, yea, I'm fine.' the girl said looking into Dean's eyes 'Wait… you're not going to kidnap me or something?'

'No I promise we won't hurt you. I'm Sam, and this is my brother Dean, we uh, want to help.'

'Nice to meet you, I'm Rachel, but I don't need any help, I'm fine… really.'

'So, does he do that a lot?' asked Sam

'OH _that_, well, it's usually not that bad, only when he's had a bad day, or been drinking… I thought I would be o.k. since I was working on a school project, but he doesn't believe me.' she replied

'What do you mean?' Dean asked

'Well, I was after school working on a science project with my friend Jeff, and when I told him where I was and with who, he told me that was not reason to be almost 2 hours late, and well, you know the rest.'

'You know you could report him for child abuse.' said Sam

'I've thought about it, but with my mom's death a few years ago, he's just been really overprotective because I'm pretty much the only close family he has, and I don't want to end up in some orphanage somewhere, so I just deal with it, it's not as bad as it looks.'

'Your mom died?' Sam said looking at Dean

'Uh, yea, it was about 3 years ago, my dad found her in her room, I never really knew the whole story but something weird happened to her.'

'We're really sorry. So um, is there anyway we could look around your house?' Dean said

'If you're looking for a place to stay, just say so.' She told them 'It's ok, I know there's not that many vacant motels around here.'

'Yea, that's it, we need a place to stay… so er, do you have any room?' Dean replied

'Yea, you can have my dad's room and Sam can take the guest bedroom, but you have to wait until my dad leaves, it should only be another couple of minutes, he's leaving for a business trip.' she said getting up.

'Rachel, I'm leaving now!' came the man's voice as he opened the door. 'HEY! ARE THOSE BOYS!?' he yelled

'No, dad, they were uh, asking for directions to the soccer field.' she replied 'Have a nice trip'

'Fine' grumbled the man as he got in his care and rapidly pulled out of the drive way and down the block.

'Let me show you too your rooms.' Rachel said walking to the house as the boys started at each other.

So… do you like it? Hate it? Please let me know!


	2. Hells Bells

**A/N**: well, its going ok so far… please let me know what you think… like I said, id like to know if anyone's reading this and if it stinks id rather you tell me now so I can fix it! enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing, but Kripke, someday I hope that changes …wink wink

Let Loose From the Noose

Chapter 2: Hells Bells

'Dude! This is like sandwich heaven!' exclaimed Dean staring at the vast amount of food in front of him.

'My dad's a bit of a sandwich freak when it comes to lunch… and dinner.' Rachel said smiling. 'Alright, we have turkey, ham, bologna, and salami, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, and cheddar, American, provolone, and Swiss cheese.' she said out of breath. 'Oh yea, and white, wheat, rye or raisin bread.'

'Somehow, I don't think you'll have all this food for too much longer.' Sam replied watching Dean grab a slice of everything and cram it onto a sandwich which he shoved into his mouth.

'Come on Sam, please eat, I'll feel bad if you don't take something.' Rachel replied

'Yea Sammy, it's delicious!' said Dean with his mouth full.

'Alright fine, but at least let me pay for it or something, since you're letting us stay for free.' Sam said picking up two slices of turkey and a slice of cheddar on top of rye bread.

'No no, it's fine, I mean, after listening to me rant outside and all. I didn't mean to explode like that, but well, I dunno, I just couldn't keep it in anymore.'

'It's alright; if I were you I would have done the same thing. Now just let me pay for—'

'No means no Sam! Now eat while I go put clean sheets on the beds.' Rachel said walking upstairs.

'So Dean, in between bites did you have time to check out the house?'

'Yea, it's clean, no reading whatsoever.' Dean said swallowing the rest of his monster sandwich

'Hmm, that's odd.' Sam said

'Sammy, don't worry, I'm sure if we give it a couple of days we'll find that her mom's ghost is still here or something and be on our way.'

'It just bothers me that this is the typical suburban neighborhood, and that there's nothing weird going on. No local hauntings, murders, disappearances, nothing, it's a totally random location. And she seems like such a nice girl.' Sam said

'Sammy _don't_ worry, until something happens we have the week off, and then we'll do our job and move on, like we always do.'

'Sure Dean, but what about after we leave… what about her father? We can't just leave her like that… you _saw_ what he did to her!'

'Well what are we supposed to do about it Sam!? He's her father, and I bet somewhere under there he cares for his daughter.' Dean said, with a hint of disbelief in his voice. 'At least, I hope he does.' he whispered just quietly enough that Sam wouldn't hear.

'Everything alright?' Rachel asked as she reentered the kitchen.

'Yea, fine.' Sam said.

'Uh, it looks like its still early, so I think I'll go and read for a bit before bed.' Sam said

'If you need a good book, why don't you take a look in my library, I have a lot of great novels.' Rachel said.

'You have a library?' asked Sam

'Well, it's basically just all of the space in my room filled with books, but it's pretty organized, come on, I'll show you.' she said leading Sam upstairs. 'Oh, Dean, the TV is in the family room on your left.'

'Thanks.' Dean called as he sat down and started to flip through channels.

'Wow, pretty impressive library' Sam said as he gazed into the small bedroom crammed to the brim with books. 'Did you read all of them yet?'

'All of the one's on the shelf I've read, the ones by my bed I still need to finish.' she said 'So, what do you like to read?'

'Oh, I'm not picky.' Sam said. 'Hey, uh, what's this.'

'Oh, it's one of my mom's old books, it's about supernatural demons and things, it has all these neat monsters, like djinns and poltergeists.' she said. 'Do you want to read it?'

'No, it just looked familiar, that's all.'

'Hmm, well, here's one of my favorites. _Agatha Christie's __The A.B.C murders_.' she said handing him the book.

'Thanks, I'll go read downstairs.' he said as he walked down the steps

'Ok, I'll just be a minute I have to find the book I was reading last night.' Rachel said beginning to rummage through her bedroom.

Sam casually went to sit by Dean, with the book in his lap he flipped through the pages as he spoke.

'Dean, she's got a book about demons almost identical to ours, upstairs in her room, she said it was her mother's.'

'That's impossible… I mean, unless she's a hunter.'

'I don't think she was, I asked Bobby, he said he didn't know anyone from this area that was a hunter.'

'Alright, I found it, and uh, I don't want to bother you so I'll be in my room if you need me.' Rachel called downstairs

'Alright' Dean replied

'So what do you think about the book?' Sam asked

'Well, I'm sure we could ask her about it tomorrow morning, for now just read your book or something, it's getting late and you didn't get much sleep on the drive over here.' Dean said returning his glance back at the screen

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A few hours later:

'Dean, I'm going upstairs, I think I'll read up there, it's getting kinda chilly.' Sam said

'Yea, I noticed that too, well nighty night princess.' Dean smirked.

Sam walked up the steps into his room and prepared himself for bed. Suddenly a cold breeze came into the room.

'Dean, is that you?' mumbled Sam sleepily opening his eyes

'Shit!' he screamed as he stared into the face of a women about 35 years old with long brown hair and burning blue eyes approaching him. She flickered. A ghost' Sam whispered as he backed away from her.

Just before she disappeared in a mist the mysterious woman pointed her finger at Sam and said "I will kill you.'

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Well… should I stop or keep going? It's up to you!


	3. Highway to Hell

**A/N**: Well… I guess it's going alright… PLEASE tell me what you think! Or at least review with some encouraging words (or if you hate it… I'd like to know)

**Disclaimer**: nothing… so far (evil grin)

**Let Loose From the Noose**

**Chapter 3: Highway to Hell**

'SAM! Are you alright?!' Dean yelled as he barged into the bedroom.

'I-I'm fine.' Sam stuttered

'Sammy, yelling in the middle of the night is not fine…. now was it a vision… a nightmare?'

'Er… no, it was a…a ghost.'

'That's all? I didn't think you were scared of those anymore Sam!' Dean chuckled

'Um Dean… you would be scared too if a random ghost appeared and threatened to kill you.' Sam said

'What? No way!... what happened?' Dean asked as he sat on the creaking bed.

'Dean what do you _think_ happened?! She appeared, pointed at me and said "I'm going to kill you" then she vanished!' Sam yelled

'Sam—' Dean began to say with a grin

'Dean, I'm not joking, she said she was going to _kill_ me… we have to do something.' Sam said

'She isn't going to kill you.' said a sleepy Rachel as she leaned against the doorframe.

'Yea… uh, that's right Sammy, the monster in the closet's not going to kill you' Dean said quickly

'It's alright… I know.' Rachel said walking into the room.

'Know what?' Sam asked.

'You don't have to cover for yourselves… I know you saw my mom, well, her ghost anyway… short, brown hair, blue eyes about 35 years old. And I also know that you're hunters.' she said

The boys could only look at each other in awe. Finally Dean broke the silence.

'Well, I do enjoy a good deer-season.' Dean smirked

Sam rolled his eyes before he spoke. 'Dean, I think it's OK to tell the truth this time.'

'Fine' Dean grumbled 'But how did you know? I mean unless you are a hunter…'

'No, I'm not a hunter… well it's actually a really weird story… I don't think you'll believe me if I told you.' Rachel replied

'Trust me, we'll believe you' Sam said.

'Alright' Rachel sighed 'My mom liked to take me road tripping during the summer. I didn't mind it so much, except she loved going to psychics, she thought it was neat the way they read your palms and such. I didn't pay much attention until one of them told my mother she would have a tragic death. She said something about 2 guys helping her or something… and then she gave me that book Sam was looking at and told me lots of things about hunters and how I should be prepared for my destiny. I thought she was crazy, until my mom died.' Rachel replied staring Dean in the eyes.

'So, assuming it was Missouri you talked to, how did you know that we were hunters?' Sam questioned

'Well, I'm not an idiot for starters, and I did some of my own research on this book. I was curious about the sources; I didn't exactly believe it all at first. But, I couldn't find anything on it… anywhere, and believe me, I tried everything! And I remember that lady telling me something about trained supernatural hunters or something, so I just put two and two together and figured you only know about this stuff if you're a hunter.'

'Well, at least that saves us a lot of explaining…' Dean smirked

'So um, can we take care of your mom for you? It is our job.' Sam asked getting up

'Oh, uh, sure I guess… well I mean she was starting to freak me out.'

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Later the next morning:

'Alright Sammy, let's go' Dean said

'Dean—' Sam began to say

'Sammy, our job is done… we have to go, you know we can't help her.'

'But, I just feel like everything's wrong, I mean my vision… nothing even close to what I saw happened!'

'Sam, you know better then I do that your visions don't always come true.'

'But Dean—'

'So, you're leaving now?' Rachel said walking downstairs.

'Yeah, we wouldn't want to impose.' Dean replied glaring at Sam

'No no, I mean, you did help out my mom and stuff.'

'It's just our job.' Sam replied returning Dean's glare

Suddenly the front door slammed open

'RACHEL!' came an all too familiar voice

'Shit! Rachel cried walking towards her father

'RACHEL WHY IS THERE A CAR IN OUR DRIVEWAY!?'

'Dad why are you so early?'

'ANSWER ME!' he cried.

'They uh needed a place to stay and—'

'WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING YOU IDIOT?! THIS IS NOT A HOTEL!'

--whack-- he slapped her across the face, as she staggered backward he pushed her to the floor and started kicking her. Sam and Dean began to walk up to Rachel's father.

'Stop that! There's no reason for violence!' Sam yelled.

'DON'T YOU TELL ME HOW TO RAISE MY CHILD!'

suddenly he slapped Sam across the cheek, as Sam staggered away bleeding, Dean stepped up with rage in his eyes.

'Don't hit my brother' Dean said coldly as he flipped out his knife.

'AND WHO ARE YOU? HIS BOYFRIEND?!' the drunk man mocked

'I said stop.'

'AND WHO'S GONNA MAKE ME?!' he said kicking Rachel against the staircase. She moaned in pain as blood trickled down her face.

'I am.' Dean said quickly stepping forward and stabbing the man in the stomach with catlike reflexes. 'Sam let's go!' he cried as the man tumbled forward in pain.

'Dean… we can't just leave the girl like this.' he said staggering forward.

'Sam!'

'Dean come on!' Sam pleaded

'Fine' Dean grumbled picking Rachel up in his arms and carrying her outside.

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-- sorry about the long update… I couldn't decide if I wanted to continue or not…. REVIEW PLEASE!!


	4. Over The Hills And Far Away

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who reviewed or read this story …. this chapter's for the Cult of SamandDean (or GeekandSunny if you prefer) and a special thanks to MMarieB who beta'd for me and convinced me to keep writing!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything except Rachel…

Let Loose From the Noose

Chapter 4: Over The Hills And Far Away

'_What the hell are we supposed to do now Sam?' Dean yelled as he drove the Impala into the night._

'_We couldn't just leave her there Dean.'_

'_So then what are we supposed to tell her when she wakes up? Hi Rachel, we're hundreds of miles away from your home and now we think you're an orphan…where do you want us to drop you off?' Dean snickered_

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Rachel awoke in a panicked sweat. Realizing she was in the back of the Winchester's Chevy Impala she tried to sit up. Bad idea, her head throbbed with pain where she had hit it. The memories of that morning rocketed in front of her mind like a torpedo, finally remembering her father she blocked them out and tried concentrating on the present. Moaning she glazed her eyes over to the passenger side where Sam with his puppy dog eyes filled with concern was watching her intently.

'You're awake.'

'Yeah.' Rachel replied wearily 'Where are we?'

'Right now we're in Massachusetts.' Dean replied not once glancing from the road in front of him

'Have I been out that long?' asked Rachel calculating in her head 'Wow, almost 5 hours…' she said wincing from her throbbing forehead.

'Yeah, you took a pretty bad fall back there, are you sure you're alright?'

'Mmhmm' she nodded. 'So, where are we going exactly? Or do you just plan on kidnapping and raping me here?'

Dean chuckled as he gave his reply 'Well, we were trying to go up north away from your father, but no specific location... and no, I don't think we're going to rape you… unless Sammy has plans that I don't know about.'

'Good one Dean.' mocked Sam rolling his eyes

'Well, if you're going up north you can go to my mom's lake house up in New Hampshire… we haven't been there in a while but it'll be a place to stay, and it has a magnificent view of the lake… very peaceful..' Rachel said scribbling down the address and handing it to Sam with shaking hands.

'That'll sure beat any motel room we can find.' Sam said glancing at Dean

'Sure, we can go for now, but we'll have to stop at a motel anyway, it's another 3 hours to New Hampshire and I'm getting hungry.' Dean said giving Sam an odd stare.

Rachel was starting to drift off into another hour of sleep as the Winchester's argued in the background… _'Bickering like an old married couple.'_ she laughed as she compared the brothers to Fred and Ethel from "I Love Lucy" _'I wonder which one would be Ethel'_ she thought to herself before falling into peaceful slumber once more.

'Sammy, what are we going to do? We can't keep her with us forever.' Dean said looking into the rearview mirror to make sure the girl was asleep

'And why not Dean? She knows about hunting, she's tough, and we can't just drop her off somewhere and say here have a nice life.'

'Sammy-'

'No Dean, please, just look at her, she's been through so much in her life, the only parent that ever truly loved her died and she was left with a monster of a drunk for a father… she deserves something better.'

'And our life is so much better Sam? We're running from the cops, hunting demons, doing loads of illegal activity and we carry a frickin' artillery rack in the back of my car!' Dean yelled

'Dean please, I want to help her out the way you did with me when we were kids… just, just let her come with us for now and if it doesn't work out I'll personally give her to Ellen myself.. I'm sure she wouldn't object too much. And at least Rachel will be safe.'

'Sam-' Dean sighed giving in to his brother's pleading face as usual. 'Fine…. but if she gets even a little bruised up you have to give her to Ellen right away.' he said, almost grinning at the thought of having a "little sister"

'Thanks Dean' Sam said pleased 'You won't regret this.'

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Rachel awoke in another panicked sweat, this time she was in a bed, a very clean bed… it took her a minute to notice that she was sleeping next to someone... someone who was very close to her back… she panicked and fell out of the bed.

'Ow.' she muttered to herself rubbing her elbow

Sam laughed wryly as he watched her sit up next to the bed. 'You're up.' he said facing the girl

'What the … why was I sleeping with Dean? … Did something happen? I can't remember a thing.' she said looking at Dean's sleeping profile

'No, nothing happened, you were out like a light when we pulled in, so Dean carried you in… it was too late to ask for a cot for him, so he figured you wouldn't mind to much if…'

'Oh no, I don't mind, it was just a shock that's all'

'That's alright, if I woke up in the morning next to him, I would be in shock too' he laughed

'I heard that Sammy!' Dean said chucking a pillow at Sam's face

Rachel chuckled as she eyed the pile of clothes by the door 'What's all that?' she asked

'Clothes for you, we figured you'd want something more to wear then just one shirt and a pair of jeans…' Sam replied 'And the lady at the store-'

'Her name was Alyssa!' Dean cut in

'Fine... _Alyssa _picked out … those.' Sam said rolling his eyes at Dean and pointing to the other pile of lingerie.

'Oh yeah… those.' Rachel said blushing as she walking into the bathroom to change 'Thank you so much!'

'No problem' Sam replied

'MMM… Alyssa, she was hot.' Dean said sitting up and exposing his bare chest

'Dean… is that all you ever think about?'

'NO! Of course not…. I think about lots of stuff.' He said getting dressed

'Like?'

'Um-' Dean began to say but was cutoff by Rachel

'Do you two know where I can get a cup of coffee? I'm dead tired right now.'

'That's my kind of girl' Dean said beaming 'Yeah Rachel, we were just getting ready to go get breakfast'

'Cool, I'll go wait outside.' she said as she walked out

'I'll wait by the car Sammy' Dean said grabbing his jacket and walking outside next to Rachel

'Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend, somewhere along in the bitterness. And I would have stayed up with you all night. Had I known how to save a life-' Rachel sang, oblivious to Dean. standing next to her.

'You have an amazing voice' Dean said staring at her

'Oh, I didn't notice you there…' Rachel replied blushing 'But thanks, I don't normally sing out in public to much… my shower was very jealous and wanted me all to itself'

Dean chuckled as Sam came outside

'Was that you singing, Rachel?' Sam asked putting on his jacket

'Yes…'

'I liked it a lot! You should sing more often.'

Rachel blushed again as she looked up at Sam's eyes filled with joy and a certain distant sorrow only he could know about.

'I hate to break up your lovely moment Mr. Conductor, but I'm hungry and if you want to make it to this place before sunset we have to hurry.' Dean said getting into his car

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'So I take it you did a check on this place?' Dean asked Sam as he stepped into the crisp New Hampshire air, staring at the beautifully built wooden house in front of him.

'Yeah, it looks like we have a small disappearance case we can work about eight or so miles north of here.'

'Alright, we'll start tomorrow.' Dean said taking in the amazing scenery

'I'm home.' Rachel replied as she ran down to the dock facing the lake in front of the house.

'She looks so happy here.' Sam said

'I'm going to go check out the lake Sammy, Rachel said the keys in the lockbox ... here is the combination.' Dean said handing Sam a paper and walking towards the dock

'It's beautiful here.' Dean replied sitting next to Rachel

'Yeah, I used to sit on the dock for hours during the sunset'

'So, tomorrow, Sam and I are going to be working a case-'

'I'm coming with you.' Rachel said grimly

'No way it's too dangerous…'

'Please… I want to help… I need to feel useful.' she pleaded

Taking pity on the girl Dean solemnly agreed. He was starting to like Rachel, even if she was just as stubborn as he was.

'I hope you brought a towel Ethel…' she laughed as she pushed Dean into the water. What she didn't expect was for Dean to grab and pull her in along with him. 'No fair!' she said shaking her wet her.

'Is too fair!' Dean replied doing the same and trying his best to hide a smile.

'Hey Dean! Get your ass out of the water and help me with dinner!' Sam yelled out the second story window

'Give me a second there Betty Crocker!' Dean replied picking up Rachel (despite her protests) and carrying her inside.

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Rachel sat on the porch looking at the sunrise. She sipped her coffee and thought to herself. _'Six thirty am… the best time to watch a sunrise. Nothing but the lake, the sun, and the birds… it's always so peaceful_._'_ The door behind her squeaked, and she turned to see a sleepy Dean walk towards her and sit down. 'I thought you liked to sleep in.' she said watching the lake in front of her

'Something about this place made me want to get up early.' he replied taking in the brisk morning air

'I know what you mean.' she said looking into his eyes. She had never before noticed the intense shade of green that they were. She could get lost in them forever. And even though it was early, his light brown hair was slightly spiked in the front, accentuating his perfectly curved eyebrows. Rachel smiled to herself as she watched the hummingbirds pass above her head.

'Are you still sure you want to come with us today?'

'Dean, I'm positive, nothing could possibly change my mind.'

Dean laughed and took in a breath of fresh air. 'You're a stubborn one aren't you?'

'So I've been told' Rachel smirked

Dean smiled to himself. He couldn't remember the last time he had truly smiled in the last month. It felt nice to get away from everything and take a vacation. And he had to admit, Rachel was turning out to be a great person… even if she did beat him in Monopoly twice in a row. Dean sipped his coffee and stared at the rising sun.

Looking at the simple serenity of the lake Rachel thought to herself, _'It's the calm before the storm.'_

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So… what do you think of the story so far? PLEASE REVIEW!! The more reviews I get the faster I can write the next chapter


	5. People Are Strange

**A/N**: Well, my style of writing has evolved but the story is still the same! .. Did you all like the spice I threw in last chapter? Please review and tell me what you think! And a special thanks to MMarieB for all of her help!

**Disclaimer**: uhhh… nope…. only Rachel

Let Loose From the Noose

Chapter 5: People Are Strange

'Well, that was helpful Dean!' Sam said getting out of the 1967 Chevy Impala parked in front of the lake house.

'What are you talking about? We got some crucial information!' Dean smirked as he entered the house

'What information? You mean how Elizabeth Winston prefers Dasani brand water? Dean, you're just avoiding your conversation with Rachel.'

'I am not, when the time comes we'll talk'

'SAM! DON'T MOVE!' called Rachel from the neighboring room

'What's wrong!?' Sam asked

'Nothing, you were about to step on my map of the town with your big feet.' Rachel replied walking in to greet the boys

'My feet are the average size thank you very much.' Sam said smiling at Rachel

'Who are you trying to kid Sasquatch?' Dean sneered

'Whatever you say Sam, now Dean, if you're hungry the leftover chicken's in the fridge and that Tiramisu cake I made last night is almost ready.'

'I love a girl that can cook!' Dean said making his way over to the kitchen carefully making sure not to step on the array of papers, books, and other objects scattered around the room

'You did this in the two hours we were gone?' Asked Sam bewildered

'It wasn't that hard, most of the stuff was lying around in the basement, and the books I got from the library down the street.'

'So did you find any information? Because we're coming up short on our end.' Sam said sitting down and browsing through the various papers.

'Actually, I have a theory.' Rachel said trying to find a spot to sit down

'Oh dear lord this cake is amazing! Where did you learn to cook like this Rachel?' Dean asked walking into the room and sitting next to Sam as he swallowed a mouthful of cake.

Rachel smiled and shook her head 'I taught myself when my dad would go on business trips… I got bored of take-out every night for a week.'

'MMMM….' Dean mumbled 'Now I heard you say something about a theory?'

'Yeah.' Rachel started 'Well, at first I tried the obvious connections between them…all the physical traits of the 3 men, you know, hair color, height, weight, age etc. But, nothing matched. Next, I tried their living styles and location. Again I came up with nothing… it seemed like I was at a dead end… But then, I remembered that one Johnny Depp movie called Sleepy Hollow.'

'Ahh, I see we have a Depp fan in our midst's.' Dean said smiling

'Yeah, I had a little bit of a Johnny fetish… anyway, in the movie he realizes that the headless horseman is killing off some of the most important members in the town. That got me thinking, so my theory was that whatever this thing is, it wants to climb the social ladder and take out the top members of the community.'

'That's a great theory... but can you back it up? We can't just go assuming things.' Sam said

'Actually, I can, that's what I was finishing up when you came in. See, our little friend started out with victim number one, the mailman, then victim number two, the banker, and finally with victim number three, the priest… this way, he is slowly putting the town into disarray. The mailman controls the mail, having access to every person's home, the banker controls all of the money and financial states of the people and finally the priest controls the spiritual lives of everyone… all in all a brilliant plan.'

'Wow, that is an excellent theory Rachel!' Sam said

'So, you're telling me that this thing is just killing off these people because he wants to reek havoc on this town so he can become the mayor?' Dean said

'Not exactly, I think it's a demon, and it somehow will find a way to control these three men and take over the town, I mean, you never actually found proof that they died, just that they disappeared and came back different….' Rachel said smiling

'Dude! That's amazing! You are officially some sort of genius.' Dean said

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean 'Nice job Rachel! Now all we have to do is find this thing and exorcize it.'

'Not so fast there Sammy, she said that the demon wants to control these guys, well, I've never heard of a zombie making demon, so that means there's more then one.. and we have to find them all… this isn't just another walk in the park.' Dean said with a grim look on his face

'It never is Dean…. it never is.' Sam replied looking at Rachel

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Rachel sat cross legged on the porch looking at the moonlit lake. She told the boys she was reading, but she just couldn't get into her book. She just sat and thought about the last few days. She sighed as her thoughts traveled to the Winchester's. She was noticing so much about them, all of their little habits. Like how even in the morning or after a swim Sam's hair always seemed to bounce back into shape. Or how Dean would wrinkle his nose when he started to get hungry…She laughed to herself as the door creaked open.

'I saw you shivering from my room and brought you a jacket.' Sam said stepping onto the porch

'I'm n-not sh-shivering' Rachel said looking at her shaking blue hands

'Well, maybe you should put it on anyway.' Sam replied smiling and giving Rachel the jacket

'Thanks!' Rachel said as she put on the warm blue plaid sweatshirt.

'Well, I'm sorry to interrupt; I'll just go back inside now.'

'No no, really its fine, I was just thinking.'

'Anything in particular?'

'No, not really, just pondering to myself.'

'You know, you were really impressive today… Even I would never have thought about the social ladder of this community.'

'Thanks… it was nothing really, just logical thinking.'

'Are you sure you're not a cop in disguise or something? That was amazing the way you saw right through the plan.'

'Well, the forensics course I took last year helped a lot, and logic was always a strong point of mine… as opposed to my lack of brute force' Rachel laughed and flexed her small arms

'You took a forensics course?'

'Yeah, it was an extra curricular and I needed something to keep me out of the house, I thought it would be pretty cool.'

Sam laughed to himself as they sat in silence for a few minutes before he excused himself to go take a shower. Suddenly Rachel noticed a shape moving in the moonlight… she immediately tensed up before realizing who it was. Laughing she looked at the man sitting on the dock, with his bright green eyes and delicately shaped chin he looked beautiful with the moon glistening off of his slightly spiked hair. She saw Dean look back at her with an odd expression on his face. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but didn't know if she would be invading his privacy. She finally decided to confront him. She stood up and slowly made her way over towards the dock.

'Hi Dean.' Rachel said as she sat next to him

'Hey Rachel' he replied not lifting his eyes off of the lake

'Is everything okay? You seem a bit…. Off.'

'Yeah, I'm fine.' He sighed 'Are you sure you want this life? Fighting evil, never being recognized, always on the move.' 

'Dean, I'll be fine, this life is much better then my previous situation.'

'But you don't understand, it's not all fun and figuring out clues like on TV. It's killing demons and monsters and stuff that can give you nightmares for years to come.'

'I'm a big girl, I think I can handle it.'

'I just want you to really know what you're getting into before you make a commitment… there's no going back once you pick. Just think about it for a day or two.' Dean pleaded

'Dean, I've thought about this long and hard, I want to stay with you and Sam… I can't explain it, but I feel this connection between us, like it was destiny.'

Dean smirked 'Destiny? I try not to think about that too much.'

'Well, it doesn't have to be destiny, but being here with you and Sam has made me happier then I have been in a long time… I don't want to leave this Dean, I'm finally getting a good life….'

'But don't you see? This isn't a good life Rachel! It's hard and grueling and nobody even recognizes all the hard work we put in.' 

'You don't get it!' Rachel screamed with tears welling up in her eyes. 'My life was like a giant storm. I never knew what was around the corner. I had to come home and lock myself in my room incase my dad came home drunk or early from a trip. Or if he decided to use me as a punching bag one night after watching boxing Dean! It was horrible, at least with you I have a sense of stability, even if you move around a lot, I know you will never hurt me intentionally, you would never just flip out and kick me out of the house… I-I-I need this Dean, I need to feel like a human being again, to help others that are unfortunate like I was.' Rachel sobbed with tears streaming down her puffy eyes.

'I'm sorry.' Dean replied wiping Rachel's tears from her eyes. 'I never realized how bad you had it before all of this. I just, want you to have the choice, so you don't regret it later on…'

'I won't regret my choice… helping people and being on the road… I don't think there's much of an argument there!' Rachel replied smiling

'Well, if you're going to help us out tomorrow you'll need your rest… it's kind of hard to set up a Devil's Trap when you're half a sleep.' Dean said laughing

Rachel laughed as she waved goodbye to Dean and went to bed.

Dean sighed to himself as he sat on the dock. 'Destiny'. He thought to himself… 'Was it destiny for me to meet her? To help her out in her tragic life… another person to save. She is awfully stubborn though' he said laughing. Dean sighed to himself realizing he was beat, there was no talking Rachel out of this now….

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Rachel sat in the vast research room, she had stacks of papers, books, maps, you name it scattered around the floor and on top of her lap. She was drowning in research and yet nothing. Not one clue as to what this demon wants. Rachel began getting angry, in her anger she began to hum a familiar tune which quickly evolved to singing. She sang a lot when the boys weren't home. It took away the eerie silence of the large wooden cabin.

'Good morning Baltimore, every day's like an open door. Every night is a fantasy, every sound's like a symphony.' she sang

'Hi, my name is Link Larkin and I'm one of the good kids in town.' Sam chuckled as he stepped into the room

'Sam! You're home early… wow, you've seen Hairspray?' Rachel quickly replied as she scrambled the papers in her lap.

'Early? We're almost two hours late… but we did get dinner, I felt bad making you cook for us every night.' Sam said sitting down next to Rachel

'Crap, I didn't even think about dinner! I must have lost track of time.' Rachel blushed

'Don't worry about it, everyone has their off days.'

'That's to put it lightly. I've spent the better part of the day researching, and I've come up with nothing. You might as well just ask me to write a 500 word essay on Binary Fission.' Rachel sighed

'Don't worry, you'll get it soon. Now why don't you take a short break, we got pizza.' Sam said making his way into the kitchen

'Hey where's Dean?' Rachel asked as she looked at the two large pizza pie's sitting on the kitchen table.

'Oh, I think he's still in the car. He's way too attached to it for his own good.' Sam sighed

'Oh alright, Um… anchovies?' Rachel asked wrinkling her nose and lifting up the lid to the pizza box

'That's mine.' Sam said as he took the box 'Don't worry, there's a plain for you and Dean.'

Rachel sighed a breath of relief as she took a slice from the plain box and put it on a plate. She grabbed a can of Coke for herself and two bottles of beer for Sam and Dean. Sam smiled warmly as he took a monster bite out of his anchovy pizza.

'DAMMIT!' yelled Dean as he slammed the car door.

'Is everything alright?' Rachel asked

Suddenly a soaking wet, angry Dean walked into the kitchen. He shook his hair out and glared.

'Dean? Is everything okay?' Rachel asked

'No! Everything is not okay! Damn rain! It's going to wash away two of our Devil's Traps at least!' he growled, grabbing a beer off the table.

'You made Devil's Traps for the plan that we haven't come up with?' Rachel asked puzzled

'Dean just wanted to take action, and I was getting annoyed of him pacing back and forth on the dock late at night.' Sam smirked

'You _knew_ it was going to rain? Why you son of a b-'

'Dean calm down! You can make more when we've actually gotten somewhere, I unfortunately haven't gotten very much farther on my end of things. Did you get any information?'

Dean glared at Sam as he sat down, chugged his beer, and grabbed a slice of pizza stuffing it into his face.

'Yeah, actually we did. I talked to the mailman and the banker today. And we're only dealing with one demon. My guess is he possessed the three men one by one, for what though... I have no idea.' Sam replied grabbing his second slice.

'Well, that would make sense seeing as the guys disappeared one after another over the course of four months.'

'So what does this mean? That the demon is body hunting?' smirked Dean wolfing down his second slice

'SAM! You're a genius!' Rachel shrieked as she gave him a hug.

'Um, was it something I said?' Sam asked puzzled

'I know what it's planning!' Rachel beamed!

'It was written in the sauce wasn't it? The demon is possessing the baker now right?' Dean laughed

'No Dean, the demon possessed the mailman so he could place something in everyone's mail… This something obviously concerned money, so he next possessed the banker. In fact, I believe this something could be asking for donations to the church. Which in this kind of town is obviously a big deal. That would explain him possessing the priest. And finally, I think he's going to have a large gathering to "thank" the town for participating… or, in his case… kill them all.' Rachel said smugly

'All this from a slice of pizza?' Dean asked

'No, the idea was forming in my head about placing things in the mail and such, it just clicked when Sam said there was only one demon, that's why it took over 4 months to set this thing up, there wasn't an army of them working simultaneously it was just him.'

'Great job Rachel! I knew you would get it! Now all we need is a plan!' Sam said as he threw out the empty pizza box 'And I think I may just have one.'

'No way Sam, I'm not putting Rachel in that kind of danger.' Dean said

'Dean come on, danger? You don't even believe any of the bible stuff.'

'No Sam, it's not safe, maybe you should do it.'

'Dean it has to be Rachel! She's the only one that could even come close to passing as a kid!'

'No Sam, find another way, there must be other options!' Dean yelled

'SHUT UP!' Rachel screamed as she stood up. 'I think I'm old enough to decide for myself what I can and cannot do. Sam, what's your plan?'

'No way Rachel! I'm not having you pretend to be possessed so some demon can come and look at you!' Dean screamed

'Dean, he'll be in the Devil's Trap before he gets to lay a hand on Rachel, and we'll both be there armed and ready… it's the best way Dean, he's a priest… he'll have to come and help her.'

'I think that's a great idea.' Rachel said 'Please Dean, I want to help… how hard can pretending to be possessed be?'

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I would like to give a special thanks to MMarieB who patiently put up with all my annoying rewrites and gave amazing feedback! Please review and tell me what you think


	6. Take Me Out

**A/N**: I'm sorry for the super long update. I've been really bust with school and such. Hopefully with more reviews I'll be faster on the update next chapter.

**Disclaimer**: pffft. I wish… only Rachel

Let Loose From the Noose

Chapter 6: Take Me Out

Rachel sat in her favorite spot outside on the porch like she always did, it was becoming a very amusing habit for her, and Sam too, when he would coincidently find her reading there. Sipping her cocoa in the crisp, clean, air she could see Sam out of the corner of her eye, on his laptop researching. She stared blankly at the stunning reflections of the setting sun and surrounding trees in the lake, thinking about what had happened earlier.

'_I can't believe I yelled at him like that_.' Rachel thought to herself. '_I've never yelled at anyone like that in my whole life! He must be so pissed off_.'

In the background Rachel could hear Dean tinkering with his car. With every clink of the tools Rachel felt even more responsible for his anger that night. She needed to talk to him. She couldn't handle the awkward silence in the house anymore. It had only been 2 hours, but the minutes dragged on for what seemed like weeks. It was nauseating for Rachel, to not be able to have a say in her life. But it was a worse feeling when the two people who took her in, her saviors, were irritated with her. Rachel slowly got up, putting her cocoa on the table and walked to the front of the house where Dean was under the hood of his Impala.

'Dean.' Rachel said as she walked over to him. 'I'm sorry for yelling like that. I… just, got a bit carried away.' She paused, waiting for a reply. But all that came was the sound of tools clinking away. When she realized she wasn't getting a response, she continued. 'I thought about what you said. You're probably right. You've been doing this kind of thing all your life… I should listen you to more… I hope you can forgive me.'

Dean slowly picked his grease splattered face away from the hood of his car. He looked at Rachel for a moment before he gave his reply.

'I'm sorry too.' He said softly.' I had no right to yell at you. You're not my brother, and I'm not your father. I don't know why I did it, I shouldn't have, it wasn't right. I just didn't want you hurt.'

'No no, you were right, you were just doing what was in my best interest. I was wrong Dean, I won't do it.'

'Well, you have no choice.'

'What?!' cried Rachel furious

'If we want to kill this bastard, we have to take action. Nothing's going to happen if you just sit in the house all day… we need to send it back to hell and fast.' Dean said as he slowly brought his head back under the hood.

Rachel stood gawking at Dean. She waited for a reply, or even just "I'm joking" but nothing came, only the sound of metal clinking away monotonously. She walked over to Sam still in shock at what had happened. _'He was just yelling that it wasn't safe, why would he change his mind so quickly!?'_ Rachel thought to herself.

'Is Dean PMSing or something?'

Sam laughed as he looked up at Rachel. 'I wish, at least I would know when one of his mood's are coming then.'

'One of his moods?'

'Yeah, I like to think of it as when he thinks to much, he over exerts his brain and it just causes a complete meltdown. But, I think he's just concerned over something. He never tells me anything so I don't know too much other then that.'

'Do they last a long time usually? I think I might just blow my brains out listening to the silence between you guys.'

'It depends on how serious the problem is.'

'Great.' Rachel said dragging out the word for emphasis and rolling her eyes. 'So, how do I fix this?'

'So you think it's about you then?'

'Not to sound arrogant or anything but what else really is there that's changed drastically within the last few weeks?'

'Good point. But, Dean's always had a lot on his mind… he could just be sorting it all out, rethinking his priorities.' Sam paused thinking about what he just said. 'On second thought I think you're right.'

Rachel laughed as she wished Sam a pleasant night before retreating back into her room. She sat down on her small twin bed and tried to finish her book but her thoughts kept going back to Dean…. Her eyes drooped as she finally decided to give up on reading and rested her eyes a little.

_Rachel walked slowly in her PJ's down to the dock. The moon was giving it an eerie glow and the fog had_ just risen above it. Clutching a piece of paper she smoothed it out and read it in her head. 'Dean, if it'll make your troubles go away… I will too.'_ A single tear fell from her eye as she looked turned back to the magnificent house. Stepping forward she plunged into the cold lake._

Rachel awoke in a panicked sweat. She's had bad dreams for a long time and was used to her feverish wake up. But, what startled her this morning wasn't her suicidal dream, it was the envelope at the foot of her bed. _'Dammit!'_ Rachel thought thinking the worst as she reached for the envelope. Smoothing out the folded paper she read to herself _'Rachel, went for a drive. Won't be back until dinner. Sam's at the library. Here's $50 for food. Signed Dean.' _Rachel slammed the paper down on her bed. _'Fuck! I can't belive it! I bet they left me…'_ She sighed _'Just stay calm, think positive Rachel…. Maybe they'll come back.'_ She hoped as the phone rang downstairs.

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**Ending note: **What did you think of Rachel's dreams? I figured I've had her wake up panicked enough now that you deserved to know what they were about… Please review, I'd love to get some feedback! Hopefully that may speed up next chapters update.


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